Happy Father's Day

to one of Jamie's "favorite guys"!

If God is not in control...

QUESTION:
what would happen if, as the Bible states occured, "the sun and the moon stood still in the sky?"

ANSWER:
If the sun stood still, the implication would be that the earth had stopped rotating on its axis; this would imply a large tangential acceleration during the short time when the earth stopped rotating during which catostrophic things would happen (like big buildings falling over). Since the main observed "motion" of the moon is also due to the earth's rotation, the answer would be the same for its stopping. If we meant the moon stopped in its orbit, then it would fall to the earth.

from www.askthephysicist.com

Chimneys, natural and unnatural

On our vacation we stopped by the Natural Chimneys. The first thing we noticed when we pulled into the parking lot was the very unnatural chimney in sight. Apparently there had been a home there once, and all that remained was the chimney and patio. We couldn't resist the photo op.











The actual Natural Chimneys are not too far from the parking lot. Once you pass a few buildings the park opens up to reveal the large rock towers. You can enjoy them from the open field, hike through the woods around them, and you can visit some of the "caves."








Nearby is a river that also has a hiking path, but the water was flowing too quickly for us to cool off our feet. We sat in the sun by the edge, though, and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Handiwork

Everyone has a different set of skills and gifts. As parents, we try to discover our children's talents, and help them to grow in their ability to use them. Jamie happens to like to make and fix things. Unfortunately for him, Jim is not the type that does DIY for a hobby. It's not something he really enjoys. And Grandpa lives too far away... Thankfully we have some very nice friends. They invited Dot and Jamie over on a Saturday morning to make birdhouses. The pieces of wood were cut out, but the kids were able to sand, drill out the entrance hole, and nail the house together. (They used a nail gun! Okay, so they just pulled the trigger while Mr. G held the actual gun...) They proudly brought the houses home to paint and decorate. We have finally gotten them finished, and now they hang waiting for a tenant.

cheesy attractions, part2

The town that has Foamhenge also has a centuries-old attraction which seems to be the only reason the town is in existence yet today. Natural Bridge is a tiny dot on the map, yet has its own set of tourist attractions. THE Natural Bridge is actually lovely, as is the stream that you can hike along. The Natural Bridge Caverns are very interesting to visit as well. The entrance to Natural Bridge is another thing altogether. The overly large buildings that make up the "visitors center", wax museum and hotel are a throwback from the 50's or 60's perhaps, where the large and formal styles were meant to give the building instant importance and sophistication. Now they are kitschy, and we laughed that this attraction would actually bring in enough visitors to fill that hotel.












We went through the caverns first. There was only one other couple on our tour, so the kids got to ask lots of questions. The tour guide did well on his memorized speech, and we enjoyed seeing the stalagmites and stalachtites. Walking in a room made by the Appalachian fault line was interesting, as was the moment the lights were all turned off. It is amazing that people explored these before modern electric lights.











The next stop was the Natural Bridge itself. This geological feature has been visited by tourists since the time of George Washington- and probably before. G.W. himself carved his name in the rock wall. There has also been a road across the top for quite some time, and it is still there. We were surprised by its very size - it's much larger than I thought it would be. The path continues on, following the stream. The Monocan Indian tribe has set up a "village" to tour, and a few tribe members act as living history guides. The kids asked many questions about the food they were cooking. If desired, you can continue to follow the path for a while further, where you will find a cave, a "lost river" and eventually a waterfall. While hiking along Dot let her hand drift across the top of the stone wall edging the path - until she hit a snake! Thankfully, she didn't interrupt the snake's sunbathing, and we were happy to observe the garter snake for a moment or two.
Jamie needed help making it back, and the climb back up from the valley was long. We took a break when we reached the top. The visitor's center' store was cool, a good place to wander around. Dot bought a postcard to memorialize the trip, but they didn't get any more money from our wallets.

The Farm Report

The first full day of vacation was used in Staunton, Virginia, where we visited the Museum of American Frontier Culture. On the grounds there are three different European farms and one American farm. They want to showwhat the immigrants would have left behind, what farming ideals they would have brought with them, and how parts of their farms were put together to make up what we think of as an early American farm. The farms are authentic - they went to each country (England, Ireland and Germany), found old farms, took them apart and transported them to Virginia where they were rebuilt as part of the farm museum. The American farm was found in the next county, and its move should be seen in the near future as part of a National Geographic Special.
The first stop is at the English farm. We enjoyed walking through the house, and the kids liked trying out the beds. Their farm had a nice large kitchen garden near the sheep pen, where we saw new little lambs with their mothers.








The next stop was an Irish forge, where the blacksmith was making nails. A good blacksmith can make a nail a minute. It takes a lot of work, so you can understand why they were so expensive. Jamie found out that he could have been working as an apprentice already - boys began to work at the forge at age four.








A little way down the path we found the Scotch-Irish farm. The white-washed stone walls and thatched roof were refreshingly cool - good insulation against the warmth of the sun. The pigs greeted us as we walked up to the farm, and inside we found ladies working on spinning flax into linen. The second room held a few small beds and a large loom. It was not as spacious as the English farmhouse, and more people would have been living in it. The house would have been filled with peat smoke and the scent of unwashed bodies. I'm not sure I would have felt much loss at leaving that behind!








The third farm was German. It had two barns, much larger than at the English or Scotch-Irish farms. The farmer showed us through the kitchen garden and the wife told of the planned fresh salad for lunch. The greens were harvested from the garden, fresh oak leaf and spinach. The kids tried on wooden clogs and fed the chickens.











We had a short tram ride to the American farm, where we were not able to do as much. The end of the school year brings many classes to the farm for field trips, and there were many school children already involved in learning in that section. Not wanting to intrude, we simply walked around and viewed as much as possible.








Overall the farm museum was a nice day trip. The kids enjoyed the animals, we enjoyed the open space and quiet beauty of the farmland. The history was lived out well.
See more photos at my Picasaweb album.

Cheesy Attractions, part 1

This past we we vacationed in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia. It was beautiful, and we'll post more on that later, but first I thought we would start out with one of the cheesier attractions we visited.






Yes, there is a full scale replica of Stonehenge, made of styrofoam blocks, in Virginia. It is in a state of some disrepair at the moment, but was fun enough to visit. Hey, it was free. And its not like we actually went out of our way to visit it... well, we did have to backtrack a little... and we couldn't leave town without going to see it.

18 inches - short or long?

So, is 18 inches short to you, or long? "It depends..." is what I imagine your answer to be. If measuring the daily commute it may be a very short distance. If measuring a fish it may be long. If measuring a pizza, it is Jumbo, and you should expect to pay a lot.
For me it is long, at least today. I got 18 inches of hair cut off this afternoon. And I still have hair!
Here's how I started the day:








And here's the end result:











No Victorian hair jewelry planned here, it is going to be sent off to Locks of Love.

Weekend Bounty

The yard sale season has begun. Our favorite church sale and community sale were scheduled for this past Saturday, and we found quite a few nice items. Jamie is thrilled to own a Toucan Sam figurine (think Froot Loops) and a toy "power grinder." Dot is happy with her new books and t-shirts. Kids can find something at any sale, it seems.
Here is the bargain of the weekend, at just twenty-five cents for the set. (We do wonder why the penguin's feet are pink.)

The worst buy, it would seem? A recorder for fifty cents. The noise from the untrained musicians in this house... well, you can imagine.

is it spring yet?

It is most definitely spring here in Baltimore. Our trees are green and spreading pollen, and the flowering plants are gorgeous spots of color throughout the area. The gardens are beginning to grow, and the lawns have been mown.

The latest yard work for me was to make a small bricked area for the hose caddy. For the past few years we have dealt with weeds and mud under the hose. We had just enough old bricks to complete this project, but I needed to buy some sand. As the sandbox needed to be refilled, I bought three bags of playsand and let Jamie have anything leftover. He's happy, I'm happy, we're all happy.



The azalea bushes are blooming, and the rose is climbing up the new trellis. I'm hoping that corner flowerbed does well this year. It is hard to find good plants for that, as the soil is still "recovering" from the large bush that used to be there. It is also very sunny, so it tends to be quite dry during the summer.


My vegetable garden is growing! This is a mesclun lettuce mix. Soon we will be able to pick leaves for our salads! The peas have been planted, and I just put up the "tepee" for them to climb.

Finally, here's what the kids do while I work. (Actually, they did try to help, but they aren't very good at leveling sand.) This is their favorite place to eat now. Every day is picnic day!

Forensic History field trip

Alright, so the name sounds almost imposing, doesn't it? Is forensic history appropriate for a 9 year old girl? Actually, Dot enjoyed it, along with quite a few other upper elementary homeschoolers.
Historic Londontown, a recreated colonial site just south of Annapolis, hosted the day. SERC brought along the science. The kids started the day with a talk about the scientific method, forensics, and Palynology (the study of pollen). During a walk through the gardens they learned about flower parts and plant pollination, ending with a talk on bees near the hives. They walked back to the lab, where they used microscopes to look at artifacts, flowers and bees. (One boy's bee was not quite as dead as they thought!) After a short talk on archeology they headed out to the recreated settlement to do some hands on cooking. Bean cakes were not as tasty as expected, but trackball (sp?) was fun to try.
Overall it was a fun day, and they did a pretty good job of tying history and science together.

a well composed argument

Turn on your speakers for this video!

... it's a boy.

Ah, well, it's not that I'm unhappy that the baby is not a girl. I'm glad they have a new baby boy, and I am sort of prepared. Sort of. I have been working on a blue quilt since I saw how girly that other one turned out. This is the quilt top, and I have the backing, but I need to buy the batting before I can do any more work. Now, if I can find time to get to the store...

I hope it's a girl...

I had bought the materials for this baby quilt intending it to be gender neutral... however, once I got the backing material home and next to the quilt top, I realized that the pink was dominant. Very dominant. Yeah, it's a girly quilt.
The baby it is intended for is due this week. I hope it's a girl...

Coastal Colonial Life

This Wednesday was Homeschool Day at Historic St. Mary's City. It was a well set up field trip, well worth the fee and the drive. We all enjoyed the different settlements that have been re-built and stocked. The interpreters were engaging and informed. Thankfully the weather was good, too, although we should have used sunscreen... See more photos at my web album.
After the field trip we stopped by the Ensmingers' for dinner. The kids played together well, and wanted to stay forever. We enjoyed talking with Dan and Beth, and also enjoyed a good dinner. We left after the kids' bedtime, and arrived home way too late.
Yesterday, as we wearily left the house to go grocery shopping, Jamie asked if we could go back to play again! Perhaps another day...

Hooray!

Isn't it lovely? I have finally upgraded from the inexpensive food processor I received as a gift quite a few years ago. I have been using it often, and it seemed to be getting louder each time - and it wasn't quiet to begin with! I had researched food processors, and two names came up over and over - Kitchenaid and Cusinart. I love my Kitchenaid mixer, but Cusinart was on sale at Macy's this weekend. (I might not have noticed this sale except for the huge ads in the newspaper.) Not only did I replace my aging and noisy food processor, but I also replaced my old, dulling knife set. Hey, maybe Henkels Everedge set isn't top of the line, but they do the job I ask of them. I'm happy with what I purchased, and I look forward to using them as I cook!

A cold Easter morning

Here we are in all our Easter finery, just after the sun came up. I made Dorothy's dress and my dress. Jamie had to make do with what he had. There aren't many patterns out there for boys, especially not for dressy clothes. He'll have some summery shorts later, but it was too cold for them just yet.

New spring shoes

Spring is arriving here, and with next Sunday being Easter, it is time for new shoes. The kids had specific ideas of what they wanted, and for the most part they are happy with their choices. Dot has a nice pair of pale pink ballet flats (that she has worn just about everywhere). Jamie has "church" sandals - which he is wearing with socks today - but is somewhat disappointed by his casual shoes. Jamie has desired yellow crocs for quite some time. Last year he settled for blue ones, as they didn't have any yellow ones in his size. This year he was determined to get yellow ones! However, we couldn't find any. At all. So, we compromised. Hey, character themed shoes have been popular for a long time...

and yet...

a weather comparison

Well, this winter has severely disappointed the kids. We got a little snow way back in November, but not much since then.


In our area, birds are returning, and bulbs are growing. Spring is coming!











our tulips









our daffodils









our bleeding hearts










our lilies









our climbing rose